We all know how important first impressions are. Your Instagram profile is no different! Regardless of how a new follower finds your account, your profile picture sends a message about your brand, your personality, and your values.
Sure, if you’re posting for a large corporation, your profile picture will likely be your company logo. But if you’re just starting out, how do you put your best face forward with your audience? Here are a few simple tips to make sure you’re putting a great face on your profile.
- Seek inspiration.
Check out some accounts you love and see what they’ve done with their profile pics. Not only will you likely see people posting photos that are closely framed to their face, you may just get some ideas you can use for your own profile pic. Aspects of others’ photos including their framing, styling, and backgrounds can spark creativity for your own photo.
- Don’t be shy.
Your audience wants to see your face! The profile photo is small, so that means you need to use a great pic of your face and frame it up close. You’ll want to make sure your photo is cropped to feature your head and a little bit of your shoulders. This isn’t the place for a full body pic – your audience won’t be able to see your face.
- Use a professional.
Sure you could zoom in on a great smile from your vacation a few years ago. But the reality is, a professional photographer is going to give you a photo that you can be proud of for years to come. You’ll want to use a photo that is crisp, high quality, and professional. If your content is high-quality but your profile picture lacks the same care, your audience will notice.
- Be conscious of the parameters.
Instagram allows for a photo that is 110 pixels by 110 pixels. As you may know – this is very small! This is why you’ll want your photo to be framed as close as possible. You also probably already know that your photo will present as a circle, not a square – so plan accordingly!
- Choose a photo that can stay for a while.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to change up your look often, make sure your profile photo looks like you and hits a kind of ‘common denominator.’ Your profile photo is part of your branding, so you want to be sure your profile remains recognizable. In this case, that means assuring that when your audience comes to your profile, they recognize you…as you.
Choosing the right profile photo for your Instagram account is very important but also quite simple. You want to make sure the photo represents you, looks great, and can stay in place for a while. Remember to go high-quality and have fun with it!
